A short update on my interesting life. Yes, the second in the Vampyre/western series is available and I want to add that I am humbled and honored by the sales I have seen for my books. I do have at least 3 more planned for this series, but I may have to stop and add a new zombie book to the other series because we all seem to miss Beth, Kim, Len and the gang. My husband gave me a pedicure and back rubs every night for last 2 weeks and I have been mega-relaxed. I have been able to type much better with my matching Aqua/lime glitter fingernails and loose muscles. I never knew that this color was perfect for typing! On the other hand, the air condon is on the blitz and I don't know how people can stand this heat. I am miserable. Think, back in the 1880s, which I was just writing about, a man wore a long sleeved shirt, a vest, jacket, pants, etc. In August heat. The women wore hoops, petticoats and long dresses and it must have been unreal although they were used to the heat. I think many people who died did so of heat stroke, I read somewhere....wish I had kept the article....that going back in time would present many problems beyond the obvious. Yes, there would be disease and all...things we are not used to, and the heat and cold...yes...but a major issue, if I can be so crude, would be that people smelled rank. They sweated and wore those heavy, sweaty clothing for months without washing them and they didn't bathe often...no deodorant...the scent must have been horrible. When the cowboys came to rent a whore (for a dollar), they often had little sheets or pads of leather to catch the horse manure and nastiness from their boots (On the bed as they didn't take off their boots but just dropped trousers). I think that the smell of those men half undressing would make a maggot vomit. The women didn't smell any better. I am going on about this, but if one thinks about the things like this, it is amazing to think of how now people shower daily or more, have air con, wear deodorant and douse themselves in perfume. I read another article that stated that the divorce rate is high now because we can't smell one another and pick mates according to phermones and natural scents. Think on that. People's strongest memory sense is the sense of smell. Babies know the scent of their mother's nipples even. So, we have eliminated one big way we picked mates and chose who was suited to us. We have lost this simple but effective tool for picking people on Love.com with a few questions and a picture; no wonder marriages fail! I don't suggest sniffing people to find a mate, but....it's something to consider. Ok..off to shower...my husband is looking at me with love in his eyes and I stink. I like all areas of horror. Now, some of my books are very, very violent and gory. They are splatterpunk. "Jump scares". And yes, violence has sold extremely well for me. However, that said, the violence is another vehicle I use to juxtapose it with beauty and loyalty in situations. I show that even in violent situations, we can find amazing people and that nothing in the physical realm is as horrible as what may lie in our own minds via bad experiences, chemical issues, etc.
Horror can be subtle or in-your-face and I can relate to deciding which to use with supernatural fiction...Violence can be a very real controversy when we must decide how to use it, if to do so, when, in what way... I can imagine having written a story about a nut dressing like the Joker and attacking a movie crowd. That would be a great story and it could go into the reason he does it and the people there who are heroic and who are cowardly....it would be a good vehicle to tell a story. HOWEVER...my God, it happened! The writer, if he had written such, would feel terrible and be raked over the coals and probably threatened, It is very possible and very controversial as we can all understand. I think we, as horror writers, don't design or invent the violence, but we simply delve into the human mind and see the possibilities of some terrible things. A man tells his friend he wants to be on an airplane that is hijacked but that lands safely in the end and the bad guys are caught and no one is harmed. "How horrible! You would be terrified." The friends says. "Yes, but it ends ok and then I won't be afraid of that anymore because what are the chances of me ever being on 2 hijacked planes?" Horror sells because once you have seen or read it, what are the chances you will ever be in that spot again? You have seen the demons and escaped. In some ways, when we read about violence, we are carrying a rabbit's foot after that...a talisman of protection because....what are the odds? Amazing that the series is over. I am so thankful for the praise I have gotten and the fans who have enjoyed the ride into an alternate world of fiction. Sales are staggering and I know I must be doing something right to get fans interested in reading more and more.
A new series is in the editing works, already written but not ready yet and yes, I am going to let the vampires run wild. None will glitter in the sunlight. LOL My husband got me to take a week off and we took a mini vacation which was wonderful. He and I had a good time...it is true that play time helps! While we were together, I did find a new book in my head, so I know I need to get busy releasing the new series and writing the 5-6 in my head right now! I may write horror, but I am not a negative person. I am thankful for my handsome, sweet husband and the love we share, my wonderful child, my cute pets, my lovely home, my own mind, my books, family, and my fans who have enjoyed my books so much. Life is wonderful. So enjoy the zombie tales in the Z is for Zombie series and get ready for some blood suckers to rock the South West in the 1880s, keep reading what you love and above all....chase the dreams. Mine all came true an The survivors of the end of the world finally face off with the zombies, the rebellious army trying to control what remains of the United States, and a hybrid experiment that has left some people half human/half zombie. With both sides using ancient good and evil, a little bit of forgotten magic, and a handful of C4, the showdown explodes with action. One side is forcing people into slavery and crucifying all who stand against them while the other side is balancing justice with vengeance and mercy. Written in the style of Swan Song and The Stand, this is the final book of the series, answers some questions, and provides gory fun while appraising human nature. Will the zombies inherit the world or will someone worse win the battle? No are holds barred as the survivors fight back with pure rage... rage has been released
Z is for....The fourth book is being edited now and I thought this would be the end, but there are so many more stories to tell, that I feel as if I have only scratched the surface. The characters have done some things I never expected and I learned a deadly secret about the infection...(Yes, they have their own agendas and I just type it...like many writers. The characters do as they please and shock me quite often.) Now, I have no idea how many books this series may run, but have said ten is my absolute limit.
My sweet husband got me a kitten because we certainly didn't have enough pets (sigh). However, this kitten is the replica of my cat, Limmerfer, who died a few years ago after being with me 16 years. Limmerfer was a Norweigan Forest Cat and Weggies are a fluffy, big boned breed similar to Maine Coons. In lands far away and time distant, these giant cats pulled the sleds on the snow for gods and godesses in Norway. They have furry, big feet! Limmerfer 2 or Limmy as we call him, is like a normal kitty who is full of energy and he is in the biting and running stage which explains why we call him Morning Star and Sonic Boom at times. (sigh again). He has his own little picture book which is more for cat people than zombie people, but what can I say? He looks cute in GI Joe clothing. I was thinking about public figures today. When are writers considered to be one? I know I never want to be well-known or famous since I am a terribly private person. I would never want to be a role model or to be quoted or anything. As it is, I avoid interviews like the zombie plague and have done very few; the newspaper and a radio spot almost stressed me to my limit. I feel my husband and child do much better than I do with publicity; they don't mind the limelight. It reminds me when I coached threatre. I didn't mind directing and producing...but acting almost killed me. I am perfectly willing to do public speaking, but acting and interviews are cruel things to me. I admire many fellow writers as they are so very gracious and I want to be, but I am just not good with explaining my craft. I don't know why I write what I do since I had a slightly normal (kind of , sort of) childhood and didn't chase zombies or vampires, but I know the draw was there when I was young because I loved watching Quincy and wanted at one time to be a a pathologist. I feel everyone has a story...all people...dead people....monster people...everyone....and I really love getting those stories. I think I write what I do because it's a medium for just telling stories that I collect in my head. I suppose people ask me where my ideas come from and why I write what I do because they feel there is a good story there. There probably is a good one...but I'm not telling. ;) Sometimes, it's best to imagine the why and what of a haunted house, because if you go inside, you may sorely regret it when the demons get you! That's me...the haunted house it's best not to go into. Let me find the stories and trust that if you knew mine, you'd never sleep again. Cheers until next time we meet in the ark. So the new book is out from the series and yes, I have started getting the third one ready to go so you won't miss any of the characters for long...tho some are in some pretty bad positions right now, No ruining the story, but Event Horizon changes some lives forever and is a big story in the series. I loved the first one, but this second went so smoothly and had so many surprises (yes, even to me) that it kept me wondering what was going to happen until the end. If I was that surprised, I suspect you will be as well. I was also able to release a few more short stories that are kind of spooky so that is two out this weekend alone! I have to add a big TY for Nic who designed all the graphics. Anyway, enjoy the read if you get one or both...and keep in mind, the ride is still going...we are getting to the biggest roller coaster of them all! |
AuthorCatt Dahman lives in Texas with her Husband, son, 4 cats (Ollie, T.S. Eliot, and Procol, and a dog named Levi. Catt writes horror, thrillers, spooky stories, and westerns. Archives
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